1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to computerized systems for use with highway vehicles, and more particularly to a method of enhancing the safety of such vehicles using an onboard navigation system and various databases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various navigational aides have been devised for use in vehicles such as cars and trucks. One of the simplest navigational aides is a compass, and for many years cars have been equipped with either mechanical or electrical compasses to provide directional (heading) information. A more recent advance in this area is the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to locate a vehicle or mobile user.
As shown in FIG. 1, the GPS system 1 includes a vehicle 2 equipped with a GPS receiver, and a multitude of satellites, such as satellites 3 and 4. Satellites 3 and 4 send encoded signals via radio waves which are used by the GPS receiver to calculate the receiver""s current geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). Civilian applications of GPS presently allow a user to determine his or her exact location anywhere on Earth to within a few inches.
GPS tools can be used to provide a standalone navigation solution for the vehicle, in combination with an onboard data processing system having mapping software. The GPS receiver provides the geographic coordinates of the vehicle to the onboard computer, and the mapping software determines which map is appropriate for use based on those coordinates. This map can then be displayed for the user on a video device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, mounted in the vehicle. When directional information is added, the driver""s location and heading can be overlayed on the map to assist the driver in determining the proper course.
More advanced onboard navigation systems are available in many new cars (e.g., OnStar), and have also become common in rental cars (e.g., NeverLost). These systems provide additional security by allowing the driver (or passenger) to manually activate an alarm which sends a distress beacon to a central monitoring office, as indicated in FIG. 1 by receiver antenna 5. A service advisor at the central office can then communicate with the vehicle occupants, as well as determine the vehicle""s location in order to send out any assistance that might be necessary, such as a tow truck or policeman.
Some of these onboard systems are further programmed to respond to a distress situation automatically, such as when a vehicle""s air bag is deployed (presumably caused by a traffic accident involving the vehicle). These systems not only advise the central office of such an event, but further automatically turn on the vehicle""s blinking hazard lights.
While such systems are helpful in rendering aid to a distressed driver, they do little to immediately enhance the driver""s safety, or to assist the driver in navigating the vehicle to a safe spot. Moreover, the vast majority of situations where the hazard lights should be turned on, or other assistance provided, do not involve an air bag deploying or any other cognizable event occurring. One of the most dangerous situations for accidents on busy highways is a vehicle which is stopped or stalled on the road. Even on divided highways or freeways, where the driver may think he or she has enough room to be safely out of the way of passing vehicles, there is still a great potential for real danger, particularly if the driver is not seen. These circumstances may be aggravated by conditions such as fog, snow, darkness, curves, etc. Yet it is precisely in these situations where drivers often fail to turn on their hazard lights or pursue other measures to ensure their own safety.
In light of the foregoing, it would be desirable to devise a hazard warning and safety system which could enhance existing navigational aides. Such a system would not only serve to reduce the number of accidents and related damage and injuries, but could also reduce other expenses, e.g., insurance, for commercial enterprises such as rental car companies. It would be additionally advantageous if the system could automatically detect hazardous situations even when no specific event has occurred, such as air bag deployment, and further automatically present helpful information to the driver.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved navigational aide for mobile users.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an enhanced vehicle hazard warning and safety system which is integrated with an onboard navigation system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an enhanced system wherein hazardous or distress situations may be automatically detected and appropriate assistance immediately provided to the vehicle operator.
The foregoing objects are achieved in a method of enhancing the safety of a vehicle, generally comprising the steps of providing a current geographic location of the vehicle to a base station, receiving an event signal from the vehicle at the base station, while the vehicle is proximate the current geographic location associating the geographic location with the event signal to determine that the vehicle is distressed, and transmitting hazard information from the base station to the vehicle in response to said associating step. The associating step may be based upon directional information that is provided by the vehicle. The transmitting step transmits a control signal to the vehicle, the vehicle automatically activating hazard lights in response to receipt of the control signal. Navigational assistance information can also be presented to the vehicle.
The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.